Harry Potter and Time Traveling Magical Aunt
by DeiraMarceline
Summary: Harry wants to be great. Something's up with Petunia Dursley. Magic is real. Trans!Harry, SortaNice!Petunia
1. Chapter 1

**AN: The changes and situation of Harry's gender identity will be explained as the story progresses. I don't own any of the rights to Harry Potter, but the alterations I have made to J.K. Rowling's story are my own, as is the occasional poetry I use to set the mood.**

_Fill me with nothing so I can feel whole_,

_Fill me with nothing so I'll feel less small,_

_Fill me with nothing then pour it all out,_

_Fill me with nothing to feel nothing at all._

Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal. Even so, Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were as far from normal folk as you could find. Normal Folk don't lock up their orphaned nephew in a Cupboard under the Stairs and spread rumors about said nephew being a nasty little criminal. And of course, normal, reasonable folk never, under any circumstance, in their right minds, name their child "Dudley Dursley". By the time they had turned eight, Harry Potter had figured this out easily enough.

Then again, Harry questioned if their own sense of normality as well. Normal people don't feel repulsed at being called "_Boy!_" or "Mr Potter" or even being referred to as "him". Normal people don't chit chat with the snakes they encounter while gardening or somehow end up on the roof of a school in the blink of an eye. Harry Potter, however, wasn't quite so convinced this was a bad thing.

All the greatest people throughout history were never normal, and neither would Harry Potter. If there was one way to arise from an environment where you are put down, it was to become great. Thus, Harry Potter, from when they were very young, decided that they would become great, and that nothing could stop them.

The first step on Harry Potter's road to greatness came on Wednesday, July 31st 1991 when Harry's Uncle Vernon asked Dudley to get the post. Being the lazy lump that he was raised to be, tells his father to "Make Harry get it." Harry tries to push the duty back on to Dudley, but Vernon Dursley, who has pampered his son since the day he was born, tells Dudley to harass Harry with a stick. Harry, being nimble from years of dodging their cousin and his pack of bullies, dodges Dudley's futile attempts to poke Harry and goes and gets the mail at the doormat. On the doormat is a postcard from the utterly unbearable Aunt Marge, whom even Petunia could scarcely tolerate, a plain brown envelopa, and a letter addressed to one 'Mx H. Potter':

_Mx H. Potter_

_ The Cupboard under the Stairs_

_ 4 Privet Drive_

_ Little Whinging_

_ Surrey_

Harry had no clue what "Mx" meant but decided to leave that alone in favor of wondering who could possibly have known where Harry slept, least of all that they even _existed_. Being a rather intelligent child, Harry ripped open the letter on the spot and read it.

"Aunt Petunia?!" Harry calls out from the doorway, they wanted to share a few choice words with their _beloved Aunt_. Petunia grumbles and makes her way over to where Harry was standing before immediately stopping and inhaling sharply at the paper she saw clutched in Harry's hands.

"My parents weren't killed in a car crash, were they?" Harry's tone leaves no room for emotion, save for the cold vindication of years of being ignored and looked down upon by the people that were supposed to be responsible for them and protect them.

"H-Harry..." Petunia stutters, trying to figure out what to say next. She knows she's on thin ice. Harry was never supposed to find out. Was never supposed to know at all. But now, Harry did, and years of bottled up grief and unresolved feelings come out in tumultuous wave after wave.

"SAY IT! What happened to my parents? WHAT AM I?" Harry is angry, so very angry. They did have good reason to be, having found out that they were lied to their entire life. A letter merely confirming the suspicions and logic that a decade of peculiar occurrences had pointed towards. Petunia's eyes turned watery and she shed a single tear with an apology long overdue.

"I'm so sorry."


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: While I try to make Petunia as sympathetic as possible, she's still the same woman who _willingly_ married Vernon Dursley and avoided emotional honesty with Harry, so don't expect her to be very nice all of a sudden.**

_Eat me, consume me,_

_Rip me to shreds._

_Piece me together,_

_Then kill me again._

Ever since Petunia Evans was young, she had always wanted to fit in. It was rather understandable considering her history of getting bullied for being ugly or wearing the wrong clothes or scoring marks a little higher than most. So when Petunia Evans started noticing strange things happening around her, and that they were often related to her emotions and thoughts, she did everything she could to prevent it from happening.

When Petunia's little sister had started showing similar abilities and the resulting oddities around her, the Evans were overjoyed to find that their little baby girl was so special. Petunia tried desperately to do the same things, remembering when she was quite young that she _could_. By then, though, it was too late. Petunia Evans had already developed an Obscurus, and nothing could be done to reverse such an unfortunate thing.

When Lily befriended a boy named Snape who knew all about this "magic", Petunia wasn't very happy. Petunia knew that she could've been special, but she wasn't, and that killed her. When Lily received a letter to a school called Hogwarts, Petunia saw her chance. Maybe someone there could reveal why her magic wasn't working!

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, sat at his desk reading over the letter from one "Petunia Evans" with a mixture of concern and surprise. From the way she had described her plight, she was most definitely an Obscurial who had suppressed her magic out of the misguided Muggle desire to be _normal_. Muggles were rather silly in that sense.

Albus Dumbledore, while a kind soul at heart, wasn't the best at actually telling people things, so he did what he did best and concealed the truth as he tried to fix things as well as he could. First, he set about developing a complex set of charms with the aid of Filius Flitwick (whom Dumbledore had asked several questions about Charms theory without explaining why) that would lock an Obscurus to prevent it from consuming the Obscurial and going on a rampage like what Dumbledore had been aware had happened a few decades back. After applying them to a return letter explaining there was (sadly) nothing he could do to help her (which he really was upset about, it was very depressing to see a child cut off from their magic when magic was such an integral part of their nature), he sent a return owl off to the home of the Evans sisters.

When Petunia read the rather kind response from Albus Dumbledore, it would be an understatement to say that she was upset. Even Lily was upset at the prospect of being separated from her sister for ten whole months. Now that Petunia knew there was no chance she could ever use magic again, she resigned herself to being as NORMALTM as possible. This set off a chain of events culminating in her marrying a rather dashing, yet absolutely, positively _boring_ and dull man named Vernon Dursley. And that was that.

-HPatTTMA-

Everything hurt. Painpainpainpainpain. Why didn't she say anything? OH GOD WHY DIDN'T SHE SAY ANYTHING?! Lily's son. The last link to her dead sister. Everything gone. Nothing meant anything anymore. She was a right bitch of an aunt and Lils would be so ashamed. That is, if she were still alive. Why did things have to end this way? Whywhywhywhywhywhy? It hurts so bad. Head hurts. Chest hurts. Whole body hurts and hurts and _hurts_ like an ingrown toenail.

Anger, sadness, regret, it all bubbled up inside of her. Swelling. Consuming her with only one thought: "You must make things right." But it was too late, wasn't it.

Distracted by her pain and regret, she didn't notice a wall of protective charms shattering inside her and the first ever Obscurus to have a lifespan almost four decades exploded from its host and everything went white for Petunia.

-HPatTTMA-

The last thing Petunia Dursley could remember was saying goodbye to her nephew **(as far as Petunia knows, Harry is a boy) **. Now she was in the kitchen of number four, Privet Drive. What had happened? Almost as if on cue, a voice in her head spoke back to her.

"_You can use magic now_."

Petunia stopped in her tracks. It wasn't really a voice, more of a realization, but it was like she could feel the years of magic trapped inside of her, yearning to be used. Slowly, she brought her hand up and willed something "magical" to happen. Magic, being rather intelligent, decided the best way t demonstrate itself to Petunia was by levitating a wooden spoon. Shocked, Petunia dropped her hand and the spoon clattered to the ground. It was back! After all these years, her magic was back!

All of a sudden, she realized where exactly she was when she caught sight of an eleven year old Dudley sitting across from a Vernon with years off his face reading the paper. That wasn't right, Dudley was seventeen. What the bloody hell was going on?

What came to mind was that rather interesting novella that she had read years ago for the book club she attended once a week while Vernon and Dudley were out at work and school, respectively. _The Time Machine_ by H.G. Wells. Having been turned away from magic, Petunia had become rather fascinated with science-fiction as a way of dreaming of one day being capable of doing the wondrous and terrifying things those magical people could do.

"Aunt Petunia?!" The voice of a prepubescent Harry Potter brought Petunia Dursley back to the land of the living. Sighing, she went over to the door to see whatever the child wanted.

A sharp intake of breath and her face loses all color. Today was the day that Harry's Hogwarts letter came. Harry said something else but she couldn't hear it, her mind was too busy racing as tears filled up her eyes.

"H-Harry..." Harry becomes even more enraged and shouts about wanting to know what happened to Lily and her husband.

"I'm so sorry." It would never make up for the years she had failed to be what Harry needed, but it was a start.

"Your parents, they were murdered," Harry watches intently, at this point just wanting any answer at all, "They were murdered by a Wizard. You were left on that doorstep the night they died with a letter telling us to take you in."

"Why didn't you tell me?!" Harry whispers harshly, broken by this newfound information.

"I could scarcely believe she was dead. My only sister, dead, and I was told in a letter. Then I needed to take in her child. It's no excuse for being so horrible to you, I know." Harry nods, they had read in books that people process grief in strange ways. It was no excuse, but they could understand it.

"So what now?" Harry decides to try to move forward, greatness does not come from holding grudges.

"Come inside, we need to discuss with Vernon. I know he won't understand, I'll make him understand." Harry nods obediently and comes inside, holding the mail in his frail right hand. Petunia leads them over to the living room where Vernon sat across from Dudley, reading the paper. Vernon looks up from the section of politics to see Harry holding a letter. He knows immediately what it is and heat comes to his face. Vernon always did look rather silly when he got mad.

"Vernon, we need to talk. There are some things I need to tell you. Harry, stay here. Dudley, be nice to your cousin." Dudley immediately looks up from the riveting activity of twiddling his Smeltings stick in shock. He'd _never_ been told to be nice to Harry before.

Petunia practically drags Vernon into a room to explain some things before he goes full tea kettle.

-HPatTTMA-

Dudley Dursley looks over at his cousin, unsure of how to react to what's going on.

"So… what do you think they're talking about?" Harry is rather surprised at the attempt at civil conversation from their lug of a cousin. Now, Harry Hunting they could understand, but actually talking? This was even harder for the two eleven year olds.

"Probably this." Harry holds up the piece of paper in their hand and shows it to Dudley. Dudley eagerly snatches it from his cousin's hand and reads it before saying.

"So magic is real?" Simply and succinctly, Dudley seems to have summed up Harry's entire morning. A feat worthy of medals, really.

"Pretty much. Also turns out my mum and dad were murdered by some evil wizard and not killed in a drunk driving accident."

"Bloody hell, mate." Harry nods, and their awkward silence continues.

**AN: So more about Petunia is revealed, as well as the explanation of the title of this fic. Dudley will try to put in the effort to be nice because he's never faced disappointment from his mother before and he doesn't want to start now. This chapter is rather dialogue-heavy, but it is necessary. Please leave reviews so I can incorporate any feedback I receive into the story.**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Just realized I've been using American spellings. Blame it on my spell-checker. I'm too lazy to change it. I might go back and fix it someday, but I'm rather busy now so I hope no one minds.**

Petunia Dursley sat at the desk in the room her and her husband shared and set about writing a letter to Albus Dumbledore informing him of the return of her magic, she had no idea if learning to control your magic was some sort of medical necessity and didn't want to see unexpected complications in her next check-up. As any rational adult, this is a very reasonable concern. She also made sure to assure him that Harry would be attending Hogwarts so that they didn't see the need to send a large bearded man to give her son a pig's tail this time around (she shudders at the rather traumatic memory).

From what Petunia remembered hearing of Harry's life, which was admittedly very little, the child of her sister clearly hadn't had it easy, even _before_ the Wizarding World had broken into all out war. She refused for her family to be targets now that she had the opportunity to change things and she realized that, if it meant the power to defend her husband and son, she would be more than willing to be a _freak_.

With a draft finished and sent via post, Petunia decided it was time to make some dinner, silently reminding herself to make a good-sized portion for Harry. It wouldn't do for family to be so lanky, that it was partially her fault notwithstanding. It really did horrify the woman how horribly she had treated and neglected her very own kin, the last remnant of a sister she'd never seen again. A mistake to rectify, to be sure.

-HPatMMA-

Vernon wasn't so sure about all this "magic" business, but only a foolish man defied his wife, so he decided to trust her just this once. It was especially alarming to hear that Petunia herself had had magic for a while, but couldn't use it up until now. It still felt like there was something she wasn't telling her, but Vernon was sure she'd open up to him in due time.

Now, there was the issue of the Potter brat. He didn't much care for the kid, but after being thoroughly chewed out by Petunia, he did feel rather guilty about how he'd treated the kid. It didn't help that she reminded him how _abnormal_ their treatment of Harry and their coddling of Dudley was. Now magic was one thing, but raising your children poorly? That was something that no self-respecting Dursley ever did. That he'd just thought of Harry as one of his "children" hadn't even crossed his mind in the moment.

-HPatMMA-

_And thus, I am born anew,_

_As a Phoenix I have risen,_

_Strong and youthful glory,_

_To Burn Evermore._

When Aunt Petunia told Harry that they were to move out of their Cupboard and into Dudley's second bedroom, they were more than pleased. Dudley, predictably, threw a fit until Petunia had reminded him that he hadn't even entered the room in two years. That shut him up pretty fast and Harry had to admit that it was rather nice to see their Aunt cracking down on Dudley's more… irritating behaviors.

It had taken the whole day for Harry to clear out the bedroom of Dudley's old toys and a good number of comics and books which Harry had promptly stashed for reading later. The remaining that Dudley wanted to keep for some reason or the other were either taken back to his own bedroom or (ironically) promptly shoved into the Cupboard under the Stairs.

Harry settled into their new room with a sense of uneasiness. After not having much for so long and finally getting some semblance of comfort, there was this lingering fear that it could disappear. That Aunt Petunia would all of a sudden decide that Harry was worthless and toss them out. That they'd wake up tomorrow in their Cupboard again, realizing it was all some fever dream.

Harry plopped down onto their new bed, the springs creaked from the sudden use after years of being ignored. They laid their head on the pillow and stared up at the off-white ceiling, thinking about all that had happened in the space of a day. It was fitting that it was their birthday.

They began to mull over what Aunt Petunia had told them about their parents. _Murdered by a bad wizard?_ Harry could understand where their Aunt's aversion to magic came from if magic had killed a member of her family. A world with super-powered killers didn't seem all that safe, in Harry's opinion. Did Harry even _want_ to learn magic, in that case?

Of course. It wasn't even a question. Harry's heart leapt at the chance to become closer to their parents, to follow in their parent's footsteps. It wouldn't hurt that getting extra powers would most definitely aid Harry in the quest for becoming great. One could not master the world without first learning about it, and there was a whole dimension of reality that Harry had never even _known_ about up until now.

The time passed and Harry failed to even notice it, but soon enough they could smell the strong scent of garlic and tomatoes coming from downstairs. It smelled like Aunt Petunia was making pasta this evening.

-HPatMMA-

Dinner was a silent affair. Everyone kept glancing at each other, unsure of what to say. Dudley wasn't so much unsure as he was wolfing down the spaghetti on his plate like a hungry… wolf. He smacked his lips upon finishing and broke the awkward silence the only way he knew how.

"Mum, what's for dessert?" Petunia almost laughed aloud at the simple request. After the mess of day she'd had involving time travel and becoming a witch, it seemed almost absurd how normal Dudley was in the face of this, how well he took it. Children were rather fickle like that, it was a welcome change from the craziness.

"I got some chocolate ice cream from the supermarket yesterday, if that's fine with you?" She addressed both the children with that question and Harry looked up, then shrugged. Dudley answered affirmatively, like most his age, he was hardly one to turn down a good bowl of chocolate ice cream.

Taking out a large metal spoon, Petunia scooped one scoop of chocolate ice cream each into two white, ceramic bowls. She put a spoon in each of them and then put one in front of Dudley, and the other in front of Harry. Vernon Dursley's face went a little red and his expression grew strained at this gesture, but he said nothing, rationally fearing the wrath of his wife.

Harry looked uneasy, staring at the bowl like some sort of strange object, which it might as well be. Tentatively, they grasped the spoon in their right hand and brought a spoonful of ice cream to their lips and then cleaned the utensil of it. A tension that Harry didn't even realize was there suddenly broke and Petunia and Vernon began discussing the news. Dudley, as expected, was inhaling his ice cream and paying no attention to what was going on around him.

Now that everyone had finished their meals, Vernon thought that, as the man of the house, it was his duty to address the elephant in the room.

"Ahem," Vernon cleared his throat and brought three pairs of eyes on him, "Some big changes are going to be happening in this family. For one, the bo- Harry is, as I have been informed, 'a member of the family and should be treated like one.' We, like any family, will support your education to suit your strengths, no matter what those strengths may be. It is all of our jobs to make Harry feel as welcomed as possible." It was clear to all, except maybe Dudley, that the burly man had been cowed into this rather official-sounding speech by his wife, but Harry appreciated the gesture nonetheless. Petunia nodded approvingly at her husband's words.

Suddenly, breaking any semblance of normalcy, a large brown owl flew up to the window of the kitchen and started rapping its talons upon the glass. Upon closer inspection, the family (including Harry) could see that it had an envelope tied to its left leg emblazoned with a large, golden cursive "M". Petunia gets up and opens the window. The bird just sits there, waiting for the letter to be opened.

Mrs Dursley unties the fancy envelope from the owl and looks at the owl strangely. "I never did understand how those magic folk trained these damn birds," she mutters under her breath as she opens the letter with ginger hands. She reads aloud:

_Dear Mrs Dursley,_

_We have received intelligence that a case of accidental magic was recorded at your place of residence this morning at thirty minutes past eight. Upon deliberation with other officials in the **Improper Use of Magic Department of the Ministry of Magic**, we have determined that it is necessary for you to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry alongside your ward, Mx Harry Potter. This is to ensure your health in such an unusual case of a "late bloomer witch". According to the _International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy_ as well as the _Compulsory Magical Education of 1856 _passed by Queen Victoria, it has been deemed that you are to receive a standard seven-year magical education. You are also expected for a check-up at St. Mungo's Hospital sometime before September 1st so as to ensure you body is properly handling magic at such a late stage in human development._

_We thank you for your time,_

_Secretary Mafalda Hopkirk_

_Improper Use of Magic_

As Petunia read the later, she became progressively more and more befuddled at what was happening. She was to attend school with a bunch of teenagers. She was in her thirties for God's sake! It was also curious the way the letter had addressed her nephew – what on Earth was a "Mx"?

"So I guess we'll be classmates, Aunt Petunia." Harry looks strangely at their aunt. Vernon seemed just as confused as well. The letter even managed to give _Dudley_ pause, a rather amazing feat.

"But mum, aren't you a bit old to be going to school?" Dudley asks, perplexed at the situation that has come to the top of an ever-growing tower of odd occurrences throughout the day. Petunia's little boy always was rather thick.

-HPatMMA-

Professor Snape cursed Albus Dumbledore with all that he could. Of all the things the older man could have asked the Head of Slytherin, why did he have to be the one to go and fetch the Potter brat? Apparently, a "situation" had arisen in regards to Lily's sister that made the whole matter very delicate, protests that he and Petunia had never gotten along notwithstanding. The Headmaster said that he had needed someone _familiar_ to deal with it.

This was why Severus Tobias Snape found himself on the welcome mat of number four, Privet Drive, knocking on the wooden door in exasperation at his lot in life. He heard a clamor of heavy footsteps before the sight of a large man with a bushy mustache greeted him when the door opened. He took one glance at Snape before calling out behind him:

"Petunia, B-Harry! One of _them_ is here for you." The way that the man had emphasized "them" was not lost on the potions professor. Muggles always were a narrow-minded lot.

A tall woman with black hair and a short child with black hair came up to the door as the large man moved out of the way to make room for the too. As soon as the woman catches sight of Snape, she sputter.

"Severus Snape?" Petunia had realized immediately who the robed man at the door was. Snape's features were unmistakable, even after so many years.

"Petunia…" He pauses, realizes he doesn't actually know her last name now that she is evidently married. Seeming to catch on, Petunia fills in the blanks.

"It's Dursley now. Come in, how do you take your tea?" The woman leads him inside and Snape gets a better look at the quiet child trailing alongside her. That hair could only mean one thing.

"Harry Potter, I presume?" The face that Snape has hated for so many years looks up at him curiously.

"And what of it?"

Just wonderful. A moment he'd been dreading since Dumbledore had first assigned him to this task. It was so much worse now that he'd actually met them in person. That cheek – so reminiscent of the Potter that came before. He was disgruntled, yet unsurprised at the way the child had acted (Snape had been expecting an arrogant, spoiled, cheeky brat, after all). About to make one of his famous biting retorts, Severus made the mistake of looking into Harry's eyes. They were Lily's.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: So I've been doing a lot of behind the scenes plotting for this story. This is a short glimpse at what's going on. I've decided that, instead of lengthier chapters, I will write shorter and post more frequently. Also, CW: self-harm. All will be revealed. Soon.**

Harry Potter could pinpoint the exact moment their life changed. After Uncle Vernon had told them to go get the mail, it was a distinct paradigm shift in themselves, in the world, and everything was different. Somehow, they knew that the mail was important and it couldn't wait. Of course, why else would Harry stoop to reading their mail in the doorway when any _normal_ person would take it inside and open it from there?

` Well, Harry at least now knew why they felt so different: Magic. It felt so strange to think about, yet so right. The word clicked with Harry, whispered to them and spoke of all their deepest, darkest desires and ambitions. It told Harry that they could rise above and beyond and become what they were truly meant for. Harry wasn't quite sure what they were meant for, but knew they would make something great of themselves.

The meeting with that Professor Snape person left a sour taste in their mouth – something about Snape was just distasteful Harry was quite used to teachers assuming the worst of them, having been branded as a troublemaker with no cause in the past. That Snape felt similar, but different. His dislike of Harry seemed to stem from something even deeper – Harry wasn't sure they even wanted to know what could drive a person to be so irrationally unlikable.

It wasn't for lack of trying, to be sure. Harry could tell that the slick-haired man tried as best he could to be nice to Aunt Petunia, at least. They seemed to know each other, Harry could gather that much. More information would be necessary in that regard.

-HPatTTMA-

Blood trickled down from her wrist into the bathtub. A drop of water falls from her eyes and hits the water. In her other hand, she clutches a small, razor-sharp knife. She lay her head back and let the darkness take her.

-HPatTTMA-

Luna Lovegood could tell immediately what was wrong.

"Daddy, I think time just did a backflip." Xenophilius looks up from the article on reports of Minister Fudge committing bestiality with a thestral and a troll that he was editing for _The Quibbler_.

"That's nice, dear. I just got some pudding from the store, it's on the kitchen counter."

"Yay! What flavor?"

"Chocolate, the plum is mine."

"Wonderful! I'll let you know if I hear more about the situation with time."

"Of course, Luna dear."

-HPatTTMA-

The trip to Diagon Alley, as expected, was like any other shopping trip. If there was one thing Petunia Dursley was, it was a resourceful shopper. She couldn't believe she'd refused to come along with Lily in her youth, was she really so bitter? After getting all of Harry's school supplies, which they seemed to stare at intently (something was seriously up with Harry lately), the pair went to get some robes fitted. Petunia thought they were rather conservative and they came in the worst colors. And was the pointed hat really necessary? Talk about feeding into stereotypes.

-HPatTTMA-

The heart monitor beeped as it kept track of the girl's vitals. Her parents stood over her, clutching their hands together. Everything would be fine. It had to be.


	5. UPDATE (PLEASE READ)

So I've decided to re-do this fic due to me wanting to play with more explicit queer themes as well as centering around trans characters in direct opposition to the recent transphobic bullshit J.K. Rowling has been spewing. The new fic can be found on my profile under the title _The Flower Girls_ and its first chapter will be going up shortly.

\- Grappling Hooks (Deira Marceline)


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